Hominy-machine



.W. DAVIS Hominy Machine.

Patented May 24; 1859.

BOX/06 356 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM DAVIS, OF MIDDLEBURG, MARYLAND.

HOMINY-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 24,104, dated May 24, 18 59.

.To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVILLIAH DAVIS, of Middleburg, in the county of Carroll and State of Maryland, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Construction, Arrangement, and Operation of Hominy- Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification.

Figure 1, is a vertical section of a hominy machine, constructed and arranged in my improved manner, in the plane indicated by the line 1 y, Fig. 2; and Fig. 2, a. vertical section thereof, in the plane indicated by the line as m, Fig. 1.

Like letters designate corresponding parts in both figures. V

I employ two revolving cylinders A, and B, which are mounted in a suitable frame, and are constructed, arranged and operated in relation to each other, and for the pur pose, substantially as herein specified.

The outer cylinder A, is hollow and receives the corn to be made into hominy, in batches introduced through a door D, or in any other convenient manner. The periphery of this cylinder is perforated with numerous holes, or apertures, a, a, &c., on all sides. These apertures are usually punched from the outside, through the sheetiron of which the cylinder is generally made, and thus furnish burs on the inner surface to assist somewhat in the process ofre moving the hulls from the corn; but this mode of punching is not essential. The apertures are all of uniform size, and such as to allow the pieces of hominy to pass through them, and escape from the cylinder, as soon as reduced to the desired size,- generally to half'or quarter grains. This feature is important, essential to the proper ,working of the machine, and is the only feature claimed as new, 1n the construction of the outer cylinder. It serves both the ordinary purpose of allowing the hulls to escape, and of discharging the hominy as fast as reduced to the desired degree of fineness, thereby attaining the double desideratum of preventing the reduction of the grains below the proper size, and to irregular sizes, and also of not impeding by their presence the action of the beaters of the inner cylinder, in reducing the remaining, unbroken grains. The cylinder is provided with a pulley E, or its equivalent, whereby a slowly revolving motion is imparted to it, in either direction, so as to discharge the hulls and hominy as fast as produced, through the apertures a, a, &c., and to continually present different grains to the action of the beaters of the inner cylinder.

The inner cylinder B is much smaller in diameter than the outer cylinder, say, of about one third of the diameter thereof. Its

length is nearly the same, but such as to allow it to be located within said outer cylinder, concentric therewith. Its shaft C, extends outward through the hollow journals (Z, d, of the outer cylinder; and on one end of said shaft are secured two pulleys G, H, for their equivalent-s, through which a rapid, revolvin motion is communicated to the cylinder from any suitable motive power. These pulleys have diameters nearly in the ratio of 3, to 5, one to the other, so that,-by connecting one or the other with the motive power, moving at a uniform velocity, the same ratio of speeds may be produced on the cylinder B, forthe purpose hereinafter set forth. It is obvious that any other means by which the said relative speeds of the cylinder may be produced, would be the equivalent of this arrangement of pulleys. And small variations of the speed required, may be obtained by varying the speed of the motive powers, in any convenient way. Serrated or other equivalent sharpened or roughened arms B, on all sides, nearly but not quite to the inner surface of the outer cylinder A, substantially as represented. The cylinder B is driven in the proper direction to cause the serrated edges (if only one edge of each arm is serrated, or roughened,) to precede, and act on the corn.

The cylinders being thus constructed and arranged, their operation is to be substantially as follows: A batch of corn is put into the outer cylinder,as much as can be conveniently worked at one time, or any amount less than that quantity. The two cylinders A, and B, are then set in motion, the former turning quite slowly, but not requiring any determinate speed; but the cylinder B, is first driven at about the speed of 300 revolutions a minute, by running the driving band over the larger pulley G. This velocity may vary somewhat, according to the size of the'machine, and to the kind and condition of the corn, say within the limits of 250 revolutions and 850 revolutions, a minute, But I believe 300 revolutions, a minute, to be about the best average speed; and the proper speed is always readily de termined by observing whether the hulls pass freely out without being mixed with broken pieces of corn. If the hulls do not come out plentifully, (as they should, in a minute or 50,) the speed is to be increased till such an effect is obtained; but if broken grains, in any considerable number, come out with the hulls, the motion is too rapid and should be diminished, till only hulls appear. Thus the operator has always an unerring guide to the proper velocity. As soon as the hulls are removed, which process is usually terminated, in about 10 or 12 minutes, and is indicated by the hulls ceasing to escape fromthe apertures of theouter cylinders, the band is shifted to the. smaller pulley H, and a speedof about 500 revolutions, a minute, is communicated to the inner cylinder, B, or say within the limits of 450i and 550 revolutions, a minute, according to various sizes of machines, orto the'kind and condition of corn. This velocity quickly breaks thecorn into hominy, which immediately escapes through the apertures a, a, &c., as fast as reduced to the determinate size, leaving the remainder unimpeded thereby. The proper speed is indicated by the. 'escape of hominy. If it escapes continually and rapidly, the proper speed is attained; if not the speed is to be increased; a greater speed than sufficient for the purpose wastes power and also wastes the corn by beating it into fine particles. This part of the process is continued till the whole'batch is re duced to hominy.

The above change and determination of velocities given to the inner cylinder, in connection with the gaging apertures of the outer cylinders, as described, are absolutely essential to the manufacture of good hominy, for these reasons: The hulls cannot be completely removed, except before the grains are broken, since the broken pieces are too light to offer suflicient resistance for the purpose.

Hence a proper speed to remove the hulls must precede the breakin of the grains, which only can be accomplished by a subsequent increase of' speed. And the gaging apertures are necessary, so as to discharge the hominy as fast as reduced to the determinate size; for if'it remains longer in the machine, it must necessarily be broken to finer pieces.

Hominy, to cook well and evenly, should be of uniform size; and this has heretofore only been attained by screening the irregularly broken grains into different grades of sizes; whereas, by this machine, no such screening is necessary. Other, revolving machines merely remove the hulls, and that imperfectly. They leave most of the grains unbroken,-what are broken, are imperfectly hulled. a

The hominy, after falling from the cylinderA, maybe conducted by a spout R, to a sieve P, for 'separting the ohits from the hominy. The sieve may receive a shaking motion by means of a connecting rod Q, and a crank N, on a shaft M, to which a revolving motion is communicated by means of a band passing froma pulley I, on the inner cylinder shaft C, to a pulley L, on said crank-shaft, or by any other convenient means.

hat I clalm as my Invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent'is- Providing the outercylinder A, with apertures a, serving to discharge the hulls, also to perform the additional function of discharging the hominy as soon as reduced to the desired degree of fineness, in combination with the inner cylinder B, when the same isldriven at the specific speeds as herein described, for the purposes specified. 3 5

The above specification of my improvement in the construction arrangement and operation of hominy machines, signed by me this 15 day of April, 1859.

WILLIAM Davis.

Witnesses DAVID OTTO, MIOHAEL MACKLEY.

a, gaged to such a size as, while 

